California isn't broken

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In the last month or so, an echo chamber of insults has engulfed California. An online opinion editor for the Wall Street Journal even called California "the Lindsay Lohan of states," describing our state as having squandered its promise.

Critics have suggested the state will default on its debt payments, that it is addicted to spending and that it has a hostile business climate. The criticism is long on inflammatory rhetoric, but it lacks any evidentiary foundation.

First, let's look at the default threat. California has never failed to make its bond payments on time and in full, not even during the Depression. And there is no chance we will smudge that pristine record.

Payment of debt service is constitutionally protected, with bond payments required even when the state is operating without a budget. Debt service has second call on general fund dollars, right behind education. Under the California Constitution, making sure bond investors get their money is a higher priority than providing healthcare to kids, protecting the environment and keeping our communities safe.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-lockyer-california-outlook-20101220,0,3727492.story

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1. California is and always has been the quiet, nerdy child of the US

who could never get recognition for it;s action s because our siblings hate us.

the more they make us look bad, the better they feel about themselves.

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2. And they all wanna move here. nt

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3. ironic isn't it? nt